Students as a potential for collaboration

That would support the existing startups, and in general boost innovation in football for the competitiveness of Danish football. Startups like seeking collaboration with researchers in order to qualify and create more in-depth knowledge founded applications seeking for developmental money. Researchers going with this approach will have to acknowledge that they will be part of growing a company, and this may be contrary to the idea of free and independent knowledge creation. These activities may also create role models for student’s entrepreneurial activities, and as such strengthen the employability of Danish sports science students. These activities are founded on a profound desire from startups to have a closer collaboration with researchers.

Students as a potential for collaboration

In most workshops, the stakeholders mention students as a collaboration opportunity resource for startups, NGOs and Football clubs, at different levels of football expertise. Last but not least, researchers also see the students’ engagement as a grand opportunity of qualifying education along with creating real life value in football. All stakeholders express their good experience and appreciation of having student collaboration. Among football clubs, organisations and startups, lots of ideas for how to include students into pilot projects and sometimes implement these new ideas into football practice were pointed out. This can be seen in relation to the fact that students are a ‘free’ resource. As such, startups like the students to be open and reach out to them all. A collaboration between startups and students may create positions and/or the student will for the sake of employability learn how to work in real companies and experience the values of the business world. NGOs are asking for reports and exam assignments that could focus on the importance of football for socially vulnerable groups’ participation. The researcher and students were also encouraged to come up with socio-economic models to have good data to agitate into